arros 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2005 I'm wanting to increase the brightness of my headlights. Anyone had any positive experience with aftermarket bulbs. Bought some of those 'Arctic Ice blues' or some such name- Narva brand I think: nice blue look but minimal increase in brightness (waste of time really). Heaps of bulbs out there for sale: super bright, xenon filled, super white, plasma (that's a joke) bla bla..so much BS out there. LTSA have now outlawed (aftermarket) HID conversion kits so what else can one do. Anyone running 100W bulbs on main (low) beam? Cheers... sorry yes: another person who signs 'cheers' Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaM 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2005 hit some hella xenon ultras... they're way better than anything narva puts out, and are designed to get towards the light output of 100watt bulbs... You have to be careful when putting 100watt in, because the heat prodiced will melt plastic backed headlights, and could tarnish the glass on the front.... even 100watters wont increase your beam f**k all, they're more of a brightness thing, and xenon ultras are sweet in regards to this. we chucked some in sparkles 5 and in comparison, standard bulbs are piss yellow. I wouldn't bother with anything lower than xenon ultra, cool blues are arse Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
318is 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2005 The glass itself plays a role in scattering, or more correctly, directing the light. Do a little research on the lens if you want more light 'spread' etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted March 15, 2005 thats telling it like it is CAM!!!I would be very careful running high wattage bulbs in your beamer...Any good brand PLUS bulbs,osram,phillips,hella,narva,with xenon gas mixture,apparently hella bulbs can be of variable quality,they dont make them themselves...no direct experience,also make sure your headlights themselves are clean INSIDE and out..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaM 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2005 hella bulbs are repackaged osram or phillips... with headlight bulbs, there's a "new" xenon ultra packaged set out, most thik it's only the package but in fact they are philips bulbs, which are better than the osram xenon ultra in that they are made of crystal rather than plain hadened glass, which gives better light output....... hella=good quality, no doubt about it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arros 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2005 Where do you get em from Cam? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arros 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2005 I once used 100 watt halogens for high beam on me e28: failed warrant at the testing station- said they were too bright- buggers. Ever since someone with a laser pointer shined me one night, I've always wanted to find em and shine em off the road with some decent power hehehe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaM 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2005 Where do you get em from Cam? anywhere that stocks hells stuff, we stocked them at twl when i was there, theres like 5 branches in aucks..... wiri, penrose,avondale,nth harbour,east tamaki... shouldn't be too hard to find some, try for a 45% discount as well Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arros 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2005 Cool as Cam Cheers. Re. headlight lense scatter (318is) good point- (would obviously mean changing your lenses- rather changing the whole lens unit: bit drastic- perhaps a tweak for later on though. And YES i should clean the lenses inside Kiwi535- considering the car came from the country and was pretty dirty when I got it- cher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Homy.D.Clown 0 Report post Posted March 21, 2005 Xenon, Xenesis, Xenonmatch, HID, Halogen, Halo, Halle Berry... Let's face it: automotive lighting (and its catchphrases) are confusing these days. With all the terms being thrown around, all the marketing, and all these choices available, finding a product that suits your needs can be overwhelming to say the least. Our intent with this newsletter and article is to shed some light (no pun intended) on this confusing subject and outline what's going to be right for you. Setting the Record Straight: Halogen vs. HID (aka High Intensity Discharge, aka Xenon) These days you'll hear the term "Xenon" being thrown around quite a bit. But what is it, and what does it really mean? Most accurately described, Xenon is a noble gas (welcome back to chemistry class!). In terms of automotive lighting, Xenon gas is used in a technology called High Intensity Discharge. Instead of using a tungsten metal filament with current passing through it to create light output as you would find in a halogen bulb, High Intensity Discharge uses a specialized, high voltage system that shoots almost a miniature arc of lightning through a bulb with no filament that's filled with Xenon gas. As a result, instead of being refered to by its correct term, HID, you'll find this technology being called "Xenon" lighting. This type of system is the ultra-white, slightly blue, and very bright light you see on almost all modern luxury vehicles. In comparison, because of the type of technology used, halogen bulbs (found on most vehicles) produce a yellowish light. What about "Xenon" Halogen Bulbs? Because HID technology, and its beautiful look, is so desirable, you'll find that many marketers are capitalizing on incorrect nomenclature. That is, because HID is often called Xenon technology, many marketers will fill otherwise normal Halogen bulbs with Xenon gas. This Xenon gas affords no benefit, but allows the marketers to sell these "Xenon" halogen bulbs to unsuspecting customers making outrageous claims such as 200% light output increase, etc. Unfortunately, for those that purchase them, they'll receive no benefit from the supposed "Xenon" gas. The truth is, the only way to increase light output with a standard Halogen bulb is to increase wattage. Period. I did a bulb size upgrade to my driving lights..as i do a fair bit of night time country driving...worked wonders..but yeah still looks to yellow for my liking report back if anyone finds some nice white bulbs...just need something to match the whiteness of my DDE's... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
my_e36 43 Report post Posted March 21, 2005 I once used 100 watt halogens for high beam on me e28: failed warrant at the testing station- said they were too bright- buggers. Ever since someone with a laser pointer shined me one night, I've always wanted to find em and shine em off the road with some decent power hehehe. They could be snipers, you should bring your machine gun instead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
my_e36 43 Report post Posted March 21, 2005 I'm wanting to increase the brightness of my headlights. Anyone had any positive experience with aftermarket bulbs. Bought some of those 'Arctic Ice blues' or some such name- Narva brand I think: nice blue look but minimal increase in brightness (waste of time really). Heaps of bulbs out there for sale: super bright, xenon filled, super white, plasma (that's a joke) bla bla..so much BS out there. LTSA have now outlawed (aftermarket) HID conversion kits so what else can one do. Anyone running 100W bulbs on main (low) beam? Cheers... sorry yes: another person who signs 'cheers' The only way to increase brightness (i.e. to shine the light further) is to upgrade the light either by using higher wattage bulbs or change to HID (proper ones with high voltage ballast, not the cheap blue-tinted bulb).LTSA has just declared HID upgrade illegal. The only way to get HID is to get a proper retrofitting. For e46, you will need the factory HID housing plus your favourite ballast + HID bulbs combo. For e36, you will at least need a ellipsoid (projector style) headlamp lens. Check with LTSA before you actually buying them as they seem to change their mind all the time. High wattage bulbs is not recommended as they tend to draw higher current, make more heat, melt your wiring/housing/insulation, make your headlamp lens yellowish. Artic Blues are only meant for whiter apperance, it does nothing to shine the light further. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
